


Save Us

by TheDespondentOne



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Daryl Just Wants To Work On His Bike, F/M, Reunion, Stop Sending Daryl To School Y'all, Teenage Daryl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-21
Updated: 2017-02-21
Packaged: 2018-09-26 00:09:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9853082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDespondentOne/pseuds/TheDespondentOne
Summary: You and Daryl started out as high school sweethearts and continued your relationship into adulthood. Once the apocalypse hits, you two became separated. When you reunite, will things be the same? Or has distance changed too much?





	

_And who will save us?_  
_This can't go on_  
 _Without the meaning in the rhyming_  
 _Can you save us?_  
 _I can't go on_  
 _Out of rhythm with our time._

_“Coast clear?”_

_“Yep, come on up.” You half whispered half yelled out your window. You looked down to see Daryl standing there with a backpack and a nervous expression. He nodded and started to climb his way up to your window._

_As he approached closer, he swung the bag to you and you quickly grabbed it and set it down in your bedroom. You grabbed his arm and pulled him inside before shutting the window and closing the curtains._

_You turn around to face him and you shrug. Your heart was racing. You bite your lip and looked to the floor._

_“Where they at?” Daryl asks, standing awkwardly in the middle of your room._

_“Mom’s at my aunt’s house. Dad drunk himself to sleep already.”_

_Daryl chuckled, “Asshole didn’t last too long now did he?”_

_She smiled and shook your head, “No, he didn’t.”_

_“Well then, can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”_

_Daryl grabbed the backpack and unzipped it, pulling out two beers. He handed you one and you took it. You two sat next to each other on your bed and popped open your cans._

_“So, how was your day?” You asked before taking a sip of the bitter liquid._

_“Shit, as usual. Worked on some bikes at the shop.”_

_“Skipped school again?” You asked, raising an eyebrow._

_“I don’t need no damn school. I just need to know how to fix a damn bike.”_

_You pursed your lips and nodded, looking toward the floor._

_Glancing over to look at him you noticed his eyes were already on you._

_“I… is there something on my face?”_

_He chuckled and shook his head, “No. You’re just nice to look at.”_

_Your face grew red as you stared at the ground, unable to hide the smile that was plastered on your face._

_Moving from the bed to the floor, you two spent the next few hours laughing, telling stories, and kissing while drinking a few more beers._

_Finishing your third and feeling drunk, you turned to Daryl._

_“Um, do you want to watch a movie?” You asked, gesturing toward the bed._

_You watched his embarrassed yet excited expression as he nodded._

_Daryl laid on the bed under the covers as you put on a movie. You crawled under the covers next to him. Your heart was beating rapidly while you found your palms sweaty._

_You felt him move on top of you and felt his lips on yours. You kissed him back passionately, and your hands found his hair._

_His tongue met your lips and begged for entrance to which you obeyed. Your tongues swirled together as you led out a moan. His hand traveled underneath your shirt and found your breast, squeezing lightly._

_Your hands left his hair and reached for his shirt, tugging it up. He pushed himself up and took his shirt off and you admired his chest as he smirked._

_“Now you,” he whispered. You leaned forward feeling his hands grabbing your shirt and ripping it off. When it came to your bra Daryl always struggled, so you reached behind your back to unclasp it as you chuckled._

_“I’ll get it one day,” he stated, slightly irritated._

_“Uh huh, sure.” You giggled. “Well, we have the rest of our lives for you to figure it out now don’t we?” Daryl blushed at the comment and then turned his vision to your breasts._

_You lied back in bed as he leaned down to attack your breast with his mouth. Moaning at the pleasure your hands returned to his hair. He moved to the next breast to do the same, his left hand massaging the now vacant breast._

_His mouth made his way up your chest and to your neck. His left hand trailed its way from your breast down to your pants. He put his hand over your sex and started to rub and you moaned._

_“Daryl, wait,”_

_Daryl stopped his movements and looked at you._

_“I’m, I’m a virgin.“_

_You two stared at each other for a moment before Daryl responded,_

_“Me too.”_

_You smiled before looking at him anxiously._

_“Are you, are you ready?” You asked and he nodded._

_You nodded too and his lips found yours._

  
You walked through the woods toward your destination. You had some success in hunting food, but it wasn’t nearly as much as you wanted. You wiped the sweat off of your forehead and tucked your loose strands of hair behind your ear. The sun was beating down onto the woods and causing your body temperature to rise, instantly giving you a headache.

Reaching your shack, you walked inside to put your bags down. You throw the now dead squirrels on the table and you sigh. Walking over to your bed you lay down to regain your strength for a moment before having to cook dinner.

Feeling the soft mattress below your body you started to drift into sleep until you heard a banging noise that sounded too close for comfort. Your eyes shot open as you quickly hopped off your bed, grabbing your knife.

Looking outside your window you didn’t see anything. You started to sigh as you thought it was just a onetime occurrence, until you heard the bang again.

“Anyone in there, come out now!” You heard a male yell. You gripped your knife and backed up away from the window.

“The fuck do you want?!” You yelled back, nervous about the sudden intruder.

“I wanna make sure you don’t kill me.”

Your breath quickens and you notice the sweat soaked tank top you’re wearing. You wished you had time to change into cleaner apparel.

“How do I know you won’t kill me?”

You hear a thump followed by the man saying, “There. Window” Slowly moving toward the window you see a crossbow laying on the grass in front of you.

“How do I know there’s not more?”

“Just come out here, lady.” You hear the man mutter and you roll your eyes.

You open the door with your knife extended in front of you and you turn to your left. Not seeing a soul, you turn around to see a man staring right at you.

“Can I help you?” You ask.

“I’m just tryin’ to hunt over here, and I didn’t want anyone shootin’ me or somethin’. I’m not tryin’ to invade your shit.”

You scrunch your forehead up as you listen to his voice, vaguely reminding you of something.

_No. It can’t be. He’s dead. He never came back. And this guy’s hair is too long. And he looks too different. Too old._

Slowly nodding you retrieve your knife back and sigh. “Okay, whatever.”

He nods and turns around and then you see it. The winged vest.

“Wait!” You yell, and he stops his movement. He turns around and faces you.

“Daryl?”

_“So,” he mutters._

_You quickly looked at him and then back to the ground._

_“Um, so,” you said, and playing with your thumbs._

_“Our friends are kinda dicks.” Daryl said, and you giggled._

_“Yeah, they are. I didn’t know this would be a double date.”_

_“Me either.”_

_You two sat across from each other at a table inside the movie theater. Your friends told you they’d be back and you haven’t seen them in a while, leaving you with a stranger named Daryl._

_“So, um, do you go to the same school as Evan?”_

_He nods._

_“Oh, cool. I go to the same as Jenny’s. So, what do you um, do for fun?” You look at him unsure as your heart beats fast in your chest. You weren’t sure why you were so nervous._

_He shrugs. “I guess this.”_

_You nod and smirk a little._

_“Have you ever been to Luna Park?”_

_“Once.”_

_“And did you like it?”_

_“Yeah, I did. I’ve been waiting for when I get to go back, but I don’t got the money.”_

_“Well, my dad’s job gave us some tickets to go and my friends don’t really like roller coasters. Would you like to go next Saturday?”_

_He pursed his lips and then looked to you. “Yeah, let’s do it.”_

_You smiled and nodded, “Okay, good.”_

_“So, um, what are you going to do after high school?” You asked, taking a sip of your coke._

_“I wanna open my own bike shop. I like motorcycles and I like fixin’ ‘em, I think it’d be pretty cool.”_

_You nodded and agreed._

_“That’s cool you have an idea. I don’t know what I want to do.”_

_“Yeah, well, you gotta have a plan when you live in a place like mine.”_

_“Oh, um, shitty parents?”_

_He looks at you and evaluates your expression. “Shitty parents, and a shitty trailer park.”_

_Your eyes grow a little before you realize he’s reading your expression. You quickly nod and say, “Oh.”_

_“Does that bother you?” He asked. “My brother told me it scares people off sometimes.”_

_You look to the floor and then back to him, and you shake your head._

_“No, it doesn’t bother me.”_

_He sighs a breath of relief._

_“Good, because I really wanna go to Luna Park.”_

_You giggle and watch him start laughing with you, too._

_“I mean, I really wanna go with you.”_

_Your cheeks turn red and you stare at your hands in your lap. You see shadows start to form on the table and you look up to see Jenny and Evan standing in front of your table._

_“You two look like you’re having fun.”_

_You look at Daryl and he winks at you. You were sure your face was beat red._

_“Ready to see the movie?” You both nod and stand up to walk toward the theater. Jenny and Evan walk in front of you as you walk next to Daryl. His hand grabs yours and your heart skips a beat._

_“In case I get lost,” he mutters. You bite your lip and keep walking toward the theater._

Sitting inside your shack, you stand there in silence. You swallow as you take in his appearance. His hair is longer, his arms are bigger, and he has that same hard exterior he wore when you first met him.

“How is this possible?” You whisper, your hands by your sides.

He shakes his head, “Dunno.”

You sit on the bed and motion for him to sit next to you and he complies.

“Why is this awkward?” You ask and he shakes his head.

"I thought you’d hate me.”

“Why, because you fucking left me?”

He stands up and paces the room.

“There it is. Come on, lay it on me, (Y/N).”

You stand up and put your hands on your hips.

“What? Am I not allowed to be pissed that you fucking left me? You said, and I quote, ‘I’ll be right back. Don’t move.’ So I didn’t. For thirty fucking days. And then I figured well, I guess I gotta defend my fucking self now.”

“What did you think I did? Just fucking leave? I tried to make it back to you. I couldn’t, fuckin’ walkers were everywhere. I tried for days, (Y/N). You really think I didn’t? Fuck, man.”

You rubbed your lips together and stared at the ground.

“Why did you give up, then?”

He sighed angrily and shook his head.

“’Nother group picked me up. They said they’d help me get back to you. By the time we fought through the hoards and got there, you were gone.”

You watched his expression change and he just continued to shake his head.

“I thought you were dead.”

_“You can’t do this!” You screamed. Your hands were on your head gripping your hair so tightly you thought it was going to rip out._

_“Yes, I can. He’s not someone for you to be associated with.” Your mom said, closing her briefcase and turning around to face you._

_“He lives in a trailer park, (Y/N). He doesn’t go to school. He drinks, he smokes, do I need any more proof he’s not appropriate for you?” She folds her arms and crinkles her black pantsuit. Her bright red lipstick offended you and you sneered at her._

_“How about asking me how he treats me? Don’t you think that’s important?”_

_“What’s important is what kind of impression he’s going to leave on you, and I don’t want that to be you pregnant at sixteen!”_

_You left the kitchen and ran outside, tears streaming down your face. Daryl was waiting in your driveway in his pickup truck. You hopped in and slammed the door, hands covering your face. Daryl backed out of your driveway and drove off._

_“I fucking hate this,” you groaned._

_You felt his hand tap your arm and you removed your hands to see him handing you a cigarette. You take it and light it, taking in a drag before throwing your head against the head rest._

_“God forbid I love someone. No, god forbid I find happiness! Alert the authorities!”_

_Daryl shook his head, “It ain’t got nothin’ to do with you. You’re datin’ a low life red neck. That’s what it’s about,”_

_You looked at Daryl and noticed his sad eyes as he watched the road. You flung your cigarette out the window and turned toward him._

_“Hey,” you whispered._

_You put your hand on his thigh and brought your lips to his cheek._

_“Red neck or billionaire, I don’t care. As long as I have you.”_

_You watched him smile and you leaned back in his seat._

_“Fuck ‘em, they ain’t nothin!” You yelled, smiling widely._

_“Watch it rich girl, don’t wanna be talkin’ like a red neck.”_

_“If that means I’m with you, then it’s all I want to be.”_

His lips attacked yours and pushed you against your bed. You fell backward and let his weight crush you. His kisses were hungry; his hands were everywhere, touching every inch of you.

“I missed you so fuckin’much,” he muttered in between kisses. You moaned in response and let him attack your body.

His lips moved to your neck and you moaned his name, your hands desperately reached for his hair.

“Wait, wait,” you said, pushing him off of you and sitting up.

He lied next to you on the small bed while you sat against the wall.

“We have a lot to catch up on.”

“Mm,” Daryl groaned.

“But first, I… I just, I have one question.”

Daryl stared at you waiting for you to ask.

“Do you still love me?” You whispered, your voice small.

Daryl closed his eyes and sighed before grabbing you. He pulled you down to his chest and his lips kissed your hair.

“Never stopped.”

You sighed and held him closer to you.

“I have a group. I’ve been with them since the beginnin’. I want you to come back with me.”

You started to shake your head, “No.”

_“You’re going.”_

_“I’m not going!”  You yelled. Your mom sat on the opposite side of the kitchen table as you pushed your uneaten dinner aside. It was the only dinner you two have actually sat and eaten together in a while, and it hardly even started before a fight broke out._

_“Your father and I worked hard to get you into that school, and you’re going to go.”_

_“Listen, it’s my life, isn’t it? I want to go to college where I want to go, and that’s what I’m going to do.”_

_“Don’t make me get your father-“_

_“Go get him! Good luck waking him up after he’s had an entire case of beer! His nightly routine, don’t you know. And you think Daryl is a bad influence, huh.”_

_“This is exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t want to go to a real college because of him.”_

_“I want to go where I’m going to be happy. If that’s a school close to home, then so be it. I’m going to be where he is.”_

_You stand up from the table and start to walk away before turning back to your mom._

_“Oh, and by the way, we’re moving in together.”_

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no! I’m not going!” You stand up and walk away from the bed. You lean against the table near the door and glare at the dead squirrels next to you.

“We have shelter, better than this shit shack. We have food; we have weapons, why won’t you come?”

You shook your head and folded your arms.

“I don’t do groups.”

Your expression changed from angry to blank as memories of your last group came flooding back to you.

“Yeah? Well, tough shit. You’re comin’ with me.”

“What the hell is your problem?” You yell at him, staring at him with a confused expression.

“The hell do you mean? I’m inviting you back to my fuckin’ camp, which has got everything, and you won’t go!”

“What happened to you?” You whispered.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” He asks, folding his arms.

You shake your head slowly, “It’s like when I first met you. You were angry at everyone. The world. You were hard. And it took me forever to have you open up to me, but you did. And now, it’s like back to square one.”

He scoffs, “Yeah, you try livin’ in this world unscathed. It won’t fuckin’ happen. I thought you were dead, and ever since then I’ve been dealin’ with nothin’ but assholes comin’ after me and my group.”

“Like I said, I don’t do groups.”

Your expression turned into a ghostly one as you stared absent mindedly at the floor.

You jumped when you felt a hand on your cheek and suddenly Daryl was in front of you.

“What happened?” He whispered.

“Too much.”

He swallowed and leaned forward to kiss your lips again, this time it was a passionate kiss. He leaned his forehead on yours while his hands gripped your face.

“This group is different. I promise. Please, I can’t lose you again.”

You bit your lip and looked into his eyes, your heart melting every time.

“Fuckin’ Dixon,” you muttered.

“Watch it, rich girl.”

_You watched Daryl finish his 5 th beer and didn’t even flinch when he slammed it down on the table._

_You rubbed his back and watched him fight off tears because his brother told him, ‘Real men don’t cry.’_

_“How many times?” you whispered._

_“Three. He fucking hit her three fucking times.”_

_You lay your head on his shoulder and stare at his right hand that is now bandaged thanks to you. You sighed and kissed his shoulder._

_“Bastard. Who hits a girl, let alone his fucking wife. God, I hate him.”_

_Staying silent you continue to rub his back and let him vent to you. The couch didn’t provide you two much comfort as its one you two picked up off the street, but it was better than the floor._

_You felt Daryl shift and you removed yourself from him. He turned toward you and shook his head._

_“I’ll never fucking do to you what our parents did to us, okay? And this tiny apartment is shit, but it’s no trailer park. We’ll work our way up and we will get a nicer place and, just, fuck, I’ll never be him.”_

_The tears left his eyes and you leaned forward to kiss his forehead. He collapsed in your arms and you held him gently._

_“I know, baby, I know.”_

 

“What if they don’t like me?” You ask Daryl, following him through the woods with nothing but your backpack.

“They’ll like ya.”

“What if they don’t?”

“They will.”

You stayed quiet for a bit before thinking of your next concern.

“What if there’s no room for me? Sorry, our community is full hit the road.”

“(Y/N), will you quit?” Daryl asked before chuckling, and you rolled your eyes.

“Ugh, I can’t. I just, I don’t-“

“You’ll be fine.” He says and you sigh.

Leaving the woods, you two headed toward a large gated community. Daryl signaled for the gates to open and the people above stared at him questioningly, but opened the gate regardless. As you entered, you stared at all of the houses and strangers around you.

“Holy shit.” You said, and Daryl chuckled at your response.

“Told ya.”

Walking over to one particular house you grab Daryl’s hand, unsure of your surroundings. You forgot how good his hand felt, and your heart felt as if it was going to burst open.

Daryl knocked on the door and you squeezed his hand harder. A man sporting a salt and peppered beard opened the door, and you noticed how nicely dressed and clean he was.

“Rick, this is (Y/N).”

Rick stared at you confused for a moment as he noticed you gripping onto Daryl’s hand.

“Wait, (Y/N)? The (Y/N)?”

“Yep. Found her in the woods. She’s been there the whole damn time.”

Rick’s grin grew wide as he extended out a hand.

“Welcome, (Y/N). It’s a pleasure to have you.”

_You were at a bar that you and Daryl visited quite frequently. The owners are friends of Daryl’s parents and have looked after him his whole life. You two like to come here to unwind whether that is drinking, dancing, or Daryl shooting pool as you try out every flavor milkshake._

_Today was Daryl’s birthday and you surprised him by inviting a couple of his friends to the bar and decorating it with balloons. You bought a cake from the local store but instead of saying “Daryl” on it they wrote “Dale”. Daryl chuckled at that and said, “Dale, sounds like an old man’s name,”_

_“Well, you are an old man now.” You giggled, kissing him on the cheek._

_He was so surprised someone would do this for him. Inviting his friends, having the chef make his favorite bar foods and serve him and his friends drinks all night long._

_He was opening presents from his buddies and you smiled, watching his face light up with each present. You wondered if he ever got presents on his birthday when he was younger._

_“Okay, one more!” A girl said as she handed the last gift over to Daryl. You noticed the wrapping paper and you sat up straighter in your seat knowing it was yours._

_He rips open the present and is met with a large white box. He picks up the lid and sees a vest sitting inside. He takes it out and looks at it before flipping it over. The black vest had tan wings sewed onto the back of it and Daryl stared at it. You looked at him with an unsure expression._

_“Well, what do you think?” Someone asked. Daryl shook his head and looked at his friend._

_“This is fucking incredible.”_

_“It’s from your girl.” His friend said, and Daryl’s eyes immediately fell to yours._

_“You got this for me?”_

_You nodded, “I sewed the wings on. I saw the patches at the store and thought you would like them.” You said softly, insecure of your decision._

_Daryl leapt across the table to kiss you on the lips and you jumped from the movement. You kissed him back and he let go of your face, returning to his seat._

_“I fuckin’ love this. I’m never takin’ it off.” He stood up and put the vest on and turned to face his friends._

_“Aha, don’t fuck with me now!” He yelled with his grin wide. Your heart swelled._

“Wait, this entire house is yours?”

Daryl nodded as he watched you with amusement.

“And clean water? What the hell do you mean clean water? And food! You have so much food. This feels like a real neighborhood. Like pre shit hole. Wow. This is incredible.”

You finished opening every single cabinet in the kitchen and grabbed Daryl’s hand.

“Come on, we have to see upstairs.”

You both ran upstairs to Daryl’s bedroom. You ran to the bathroom and screamed with joy.

“Look at this shower! Oh my god. I have to use it. Come on,” You grab his hand again and pull him into the bathroom, pulling off his shirt.

“Damn girl, slow down.”

“I can’t, I haven’t had a real shower since this shit started. I’ve been strictly creek washing only. I’ve been dreaming of this.”

Your lips found his and he grabbed your waist. Your hands reached up to entangle themselves in his hair. Deepening the kiss, his tongue intertwined with yours.

“Mm, I like the long hair,” you muttered as he continued to penetrate your mouth.

“I like you,” he whispered and you giggled. You paused for a moment to take off your shirt, leaving your bra to be removed.

“Well?” You asked, standing there with your hands on your hips.

He grinned as his hands reached behind your back, unclasping the bra in a matter of seconds before it fell to the floor.

You gasped as he stood there smirking at you.

“Have you been cheating on me?!” You asked playfully.

His hands found your waist again and he put his forehead on yours.

“Never.”

You smiled and kissed his lips again.

“I love you.” You whispered.

“I love you, too.”

You reached your hands around his back to rub circles against his skin. He closed his eyes at the sensation.

“You ain’t ever  leavin’ my sight again.”


End file.
